Discussion: Professional educator

 Discussion 1

Review the Introduction video you created from Week One, did you learn what you indicated?

In my introduction video I stated that I wanted to learn about more effective and engaging teaching
methods. Throughout this course, as well as during some professional developments that have been
through my district, I did learn a method that has kept my students engaged and excited about writing.
It is a Jane Schaffer method for writing that color codes pieces of a paragraph. My students enjoy using
the different colors and have shown improvement in their own writing due to this method, in my
opinion.

Reflecting on your teaching practice is an integral part of being a professional educator, how can you use
the skills and concepts presented in this course to further develop your skills as a professional educator?

Each of the skills and concepts that were presented in this course were very important to improving my
teaching. Still being considered a "new" teacher, I can say that I definitely have room for improvement
and further development as a professional educator. This course has taught me how to take the time to
sit back and review my lessons more closely than I have before. This helped me do many things such as
better prepare for lessons, keep certain aspects of the lesson in mind throughout the entire lesson as
well as keep in mind students that may need more one on one assistance. I am looking forward to
utilizing the skills learned in this class throughout the remainder of the school year and reflecting upon
my own teaching methods as the year progresses.

Why is this important to UU TPE6 or InTASC Standards 9 & 10?

This is important to TPE 6 because this is specifically what this standard covers. More specifically,I feel
that my learning throughout this course reflects most closely to TPE 6.1 & 6.3. TPE6.1 is all about
reflecting upon my personal teaching methods (which I had not done much of before) and this course
has helped me slow down and take the time to think about my teaching and how to improve. I
connected this to TPE 6.3 in particular because of the "establish [ing] of personal learning goals". This
has become very important in my daily planning. Without having goals for planning and teaching I was
just kind of wandering and going with the flow of my lessons, but with personal learning goals in mind, I
found my self working harder to be a better educator for myself and for my students.

R: It is clear how you are applying what you have learned based on the video you created during your
previous class. Without a doubt, you have been able to apply teaching methods that are more effective
and engaging.  

I: Can you clarify your thoughts as it relates to the method on about Jane Schaffer for writing color codes
pieces of a paragraph? Can the method be used to assess learners?
S: As you proceed, I encourage you also to determine how Jane Schaffer's method for writing can be
used as an assessment tool.

E: As you continue to build on this idea, consider explaining how learners can use the Jane Schaffer
method to respond to a question in a more thoughtful way. 

 Discussion 2
Review the Introduction video you created from Week One, did you learn what you indicated?

When I recorded this video, I mentioned that I wanted to help my students engage in their own learning.
Learning about summative and formative assessments helped me see how I can get students interested
in their own learning. I really enjoyed learning about the formative assessment. Those are assessments
that are done while teaching and show the teacher if their strategy is working (Chappuis, 2007). For
example, when working with students I can use a formative assessment to check my student's
knowledge of the material. If I see they are struggling I can immediately switch up my strategy to help
them. This will help build students' confidence as they won’t be left thinking that they aren’t smart
enough.

Reflecting on your teaching practice is an integral part of being a professional educator, how can you use
the skills and concepts presented in this course to further develop your skills as a professional educator?

I will continue to use the formative assessment moving forward. I think this is one strategy that will
really help me as an educator. This will show me what I am doing well and what I need to work on. I
think this is important as each student learns differently and I need to make sure I am reaching all of
them. I will also use summative assessments when determining what classes to place my students in. I
also learned how to apply the TPE's into my lesson plans which will help me focus on creating
meaningful lesson plans.

Why is this important to UU TPE6 or InTASC Standards 9 & 10?

This is extremely important because TPE6 is all about “developing as a professional educator” (CTC,
2016). This includes professional development; creating goals for yourself, collaborating with coworkers,
and reflecting on your own teaching (CTC, 2016). Teachers need to be open to constructive criticism,
reflect on what is going well and what is not, and be willing to learn/try new teaching strategies.

R: It is clear that the video you created has helped you determine the best method to assess your
learner. As a teacher, it is your role to determine whether the method of assessment fits your learners
or not so as to take immediate action.

I: Can you clarify your thoughts as it relates to using summative? How does it work to meet the different
learning needs of your learners?

S: As you proceed to apply both summative and formative assessment, I encourage you to indicate how
both evaluations can be used to reflect on children’s learning.
E: Further research on the application of two methods of assessment may lead to insights on how
teachers can use them in early childhood education.

Discussion: Graphic organizers and notetaking

 Discussion 1
Which graphic organizer do you think you might use with your students? Why? What does it do? How
might you use it?

I am usually outdoors. I teach physical education. The graphic organizer that I have started to use is T-
chart. The T-chart is a type of graphic organizer in which students create a list and compare pros and
cons. This type of chart can be used anywhere. I like to use it with a big sticky note. These sticky notes
can be used almost anywhere and can be attached to a cart or posted on a wall. This type of chart allows
me to ask students questions about activities. One of the ways I have used it is by making one side of the
chart what they know and the other section what they would like to know. This allows me to assess each
class individually.

Which notetaking strategy do you think you might use with your students? Why? What does it do? How
might you use it?

Note taking strategies are essential in students comprehending subject area. One of the strategies that I
like to use is annotating. Annotating is when you add notes, markings, highlight any text in order to
deepen your understanding. In PE this method allows me to teach student to highlight main ideas and
learning targets. This kind of note taking highlights big ideas. One way I like to use this type of
notetaking is by asking students to circle words or topics they are unfamiliar with. This way we can
tackle those topics together.

R: It is clear what graphic organizer works best for your content area. T-chart has been an essential tool
for almost all subjects, and it’s easy to use.

 I: Can you clarify your thoughts as it relates to not taking? Does annotating as a method of note-taking
help learners understand or recall the content later?

S: As you proceed, I encourage you also to clarify whether annotating is the same as note-taking.

E: As you continue to build on this idea of note-taking, consider looking for another effective way that
will suit learners when learning outside of the classroom.

Discussion 2
Which graphic organizer do you think you might use with your students? Why? What does it do? How
might you use it?
The graphic organizer that I would like to utilize in my own classroom with my students is the Frayer
Model. I think that this model is highly effective in teaching vocabulary and exercising students'
communication skills (IRIS Center, 2021). This graphic organizer allows students to form deeper
connections with new vocabulary terms and the relationships between each term (IRIS, Center, 2021).
This graphic organizer will allow students to connect to the vocabulary terms in a deeper, more
meaningful way and will serve me well in my content subject area.

Which notetaking strategy so you think you might use with your students? Why? What does it do? How
might you use it?

One note-taking strategy that I believe would be useful for my students would be to use text pattern
guides. This would be an effective strategy in my content area because it would allow my students to
gain a better understanding of complex texts (Vacca, 2016). The text pattern guides will also allow my
students to connect ideas through a reorganization of their notes. I would use it in the analyzation of
thematic elements from novels that we will be reading. I think organizing these concepts will help my
students align themselves with the ideas presented in the novel and will ultimately help their writing
skills as well. Students can use these types of notes to create valid arguments with logic and evidence
around the themes presented in the novels. The better that their note taking is, the better potential that
their writing has to be successful, as well as their comprehension. This method, combined with the
Frayer Model will ideally result in increased sentiment of deeper learning, critical thinking and writing
skills.

R: It is clear how you apply Frayer Model to teach vocabulary and help exercise students'
communication skills. This method helps the learner activate background knowledge during reading to
monitor vocabulary or assess vocabulary.

I: Can you clarify your thoughts as it relates to text pattern guides as a method of note-taking? How does
the method support the common core standards of your district?

S: As you proceed, I encourage you to determine how the graphic organizer and note-taking method you
have mentioned can be used when teaching learners with special needs.

E: As you continue to build on this idea, consider how learners with special needs can be assessed when
using text pattern guides.