Part 3- Professional Responsibility

Theme: Candidates demonstrate their ability to thoughtfully describe, critically analyze, and insightfully reflect upon their readiness for professional responsibility.

Standard 9: Professional Learning and Ethical Practices

    Performance Criterion 9.1 Candidates are prepared for self-directed, continuous professional learning.

Fundations Certificate of Completion

Description:

    One of the most important contributing factors to a child’s success in school is the quality of education as taught by their teachers. In the development of teachers, professional development is the most effective strategy to making sure students receive the high quality of education they deserve (Mizell, 2010). Professional development can mean a variety of things. It can be a time when teachers get together for an inservice day, a workshop, earning certifications in educational programs, or advancing their professional knowledge through formal training at a college or university. There are many reasons educators need to continue their training and education, even after they become licensed. Policies change, subject content changes, the handling of student needs change, and new instructional methods develop (Mizell, 2010). In a changing world it’s important educators learn how to teach their students effective communication critically and solve problems.

    Effective professional development incorporates several elements. It is content focused, incorporates active learning, supports collaboration, uses models of effective practice, and offers reflection and feedback (Darling-Hammond, 2017). Content focused professional development focuses on pedagogies in reading, science, mathematics and also discipline specific curriculum development. Incorporating active learning gives teachers the opportunity to design and try out the teaching strategies they would use with their students. This gives teachers a direct connection to their students and classroom rather than focusing on lecture based professional learning (Darling-Hammond, 2017). Professional development gives teachers the chance to collaborate with other teachers and share ideas. Teacher collaboration during professional development can build teacher expertise in curriculum, assessment, and pedagogy. It’s also a good opportunity to learn from each other (“Unpacking Each Feature of Student-Centered Schools,” 2014).  

Professional development that utilizes models of effective practice has shown to be successful at supporting student achievement (Darling-Hammond, 2017). There are various types of modeling including lesson plans, observation of peer teachers, video or written cases of teaching, and demonstration lessons. Modeling of effective practice allows teachers to visually learn what practices work best. Teachers who participated in model lessons just as their students would, had students who did significantly better in school (Darling-Hammond, 2017). Reflection and feedback are other effective elements of professional development. During times of professional development educators have the opportunity to make reflections on their practice as well as receive feedback. Using feedback received, educators can make changes to their practice. In effective professional development programs, supporting reflection and generating feedback usually includes reactions to teacher practice, such as demonstration lessons, lesson plans, and videos of instruction. The professional development is usually done through group workshops led by an expert (Darling-Hammond, 2017). Through studies it was found that “students of teachers who received both expert mentoring and feedback on children’s progress experienced the greatest gains on a variety of language and literacy outcomes” (Darling-Hammond, 2017, p.14).

    As a student teacher I have experienced a couple different forms of professional development. I have attended inservice days with all the first grade teachers from around the district, as well as a workshop with K-3rd grade teachers. I felt as a student teacher I benefited the most from attending a Fundations workshop.

Analysis:

I had the opportunity to attend a Fundations Level I workshop with my mentor teacher at Backwoods High School on February 15, 2019. Fundations is a Wilson Language program intended for grades Kindergarten through third grade. It is a systematic and multisensory spelling, handwriting, and phonics foundational program designed for a whole class or small group general education program. It can also be utilized as a 1:1 setting for intervention (“Overview | Wilson Language Training,” 2019). Fundations moves in a cumulative way and teachers use scaffolded and modeling instruction to ensure students understand the content being taught.  

Before I attended the Fundations workshop I had only briefly observed the program. My mentor teacher didn’t have the opportunity to teach Fundations as much as she would have liked because she was missing many of the materials. She was actually missing the majority of her Fundations Level I kit. I had observed her previously working with a below grade level reader using large alphabet cards to reinforce the sounds and names of every printed letter. The large alphabet cards were one of the only materials she had left to her kit. Although she didn’t always use the Fundations program, she still taught the essential literacy skills needed for end of first grade using other strategies she had developed.

Level I Fundations for the first grade “reinforces concepts learned in Kindergarten and progresses further into the study of word structure. Teachers should combine Fundations with a wide variety of text experiences, and expose students to poetry, narrative and informational text” (“Overview | Wilson Language Training,” 2019). By the end of first grade students should also be able to explain narrative story structure including setting, events, and characters. Examples of other skills that should be mastered by the end of the first grade are explaining differences between fiction and non-fiction, capitalization and punctuation rules, reading and spelling many different kinds of words, and retelling key details of a fictional story  (“Overview | Wilson Language Training,” 2019).

When I attended the day long Fundations workshop it incorporated effective practice and content focus elements. Working as a whole, the workshop facilitator conducted lessons as if she were teaching a classroom of seven year olds. It not only gave me the chance to see how the lesson was taught, but also how to complete the activities and assignments. It was very effective for me to be able to observe the lesson and to do the lesson hands on. It not only gave me the chance to learn how to teach the lesson effectively, but I also learned how to recognize when the students do it correctly.    

Reflection:

    I feel that professional development is important for educators to attend regularly. I want to attend professional development workshops and inservice days to make sure I am up to date with all policies, and current in subject content and instructional methods. All the studies that have been done around professional development prove that it is an effective and necessary learning tool for teachers. Students also show higher achievement levels when their teachers attend and actively participate in professional development.

During the first couple of hours of the workshop, I thought I had wasted my time going to it. I felt like the workshop was more of a commercial to try and sell their product. The facilitator spent a lot of time going over different Fundations kits that were available, what was included in each kit, and how much it cost. From listening to the conversations of teachers and watching some of them even leave the workshop, I felt they weren’t too impressed either. I had never had the opportunity to actually see a Fundations kit so it was interesting to me. There were a lot of great materials and visuals, both for the teacher and students. My favorite part of the Fundations kit is the big teacher’s manual that has day by day detailed lesson plans. It lists all the materials that are needed for the lesson and even includes ideas for differentiation.

When I am given the opportunity to have a classroom of my own I hope the school utilizes Fundations. In my opinion, it benefits the students to use it. Through my experience Fundations has helped students learn the reading and writing skills they need to progress through school and life. It seems like an easier literacy program to teach because everything, including lessons, are already laid all out for you. Being a first year teacher, I would benefit from having some of my lesson plans already planned for me so I could focus more on classroom management.

Whenever it is possible, I will pursue professional development as a teacher. I know teachers are already required to attend inservice days funded by their districts, but I also plan to continue my formal education. I am going to continue to take the last courses required to earn my Masters in Education. Even when I hold my Masters, I will continue to take courses. I am currently interested in learning more about the International Baccalaureate (IB) program used in a district in the state, where I have observed several classrooms. The IB program offers many workshops to educators to further their knowledge. I hope to attend an IB introductory workshop this summer. Learning never stops even as a licensed educator. I am a lifelong learner.

 

Standard 10: Leadership and Collaboration

    Performance Criterion 10.1 Candidates are prepared to collaborate with stakeholders (such as learners, families, colleagues, other school professionals, or community members) to ensure student learning.

Behavior Intervention Plan

Description:

    As an educator, I will always be collaborating with stakeholders. Stakeholders include colleagues, students, families, and the community. Working and thinking collaboratively produces better ideas which can allow one to solve problems and create more opportunities for work and learning (Niehoff, 2018). Educators collaborate with colleagues, families, students and the community for a number of reasons. As a student teacher, I have observed many instances where different stakeholders have collaborated together to create new rules, safety meetings, planning events such as field trips, and much more.

Friendship Village School has an incredible relationship with all of its stakeholders. The community is closely knit to the school. The majority of the events, supplies, and money they receive would not happen without the amazing collaboration of them all. There are members of the community who make up the boosters club. They have raised an immense amount of money for the school. With the money raised they have been able to take all 132 students to a ski resort for six Friday’s and give each student equipment rentals, lift tickets, and ski instruction for 90 minutes. They even provided outdoor winter clothing for those who didn’t have any. These events, monetary gifts, and more would not have occurred if it hadn't been for the collaboration of stakeholders.

As a student teacher I had the opportunity to observe and partake in collaboration with stakeholders. The purpose of the collaboration was for a safety meeting for a student in my class. The safety meeting was held to create a behavior intervention plan (BIP). A BIP is used to replace problem behaviors with positive ones (Tucker, 2018). The first step is to identify the problem behavior. Examples of problem behaviors might be refusing to do classwork, disrupting the class, showing aggression or using inappropriate language. This is done by addressing the cause of the troubling behavior. To help stop and prevent problem behaviors at school a BIP is designed to reward and teach positive behavior (Tucker 2018). The BIP that is created from a collaborative team “describes the problem behavior, the reasons the behavior occurs and the intervention strategies that will address the problem behavior” (Tucker, 2018). A BIP might not always be effective the first time. The student needs to be monitored and sometimes adjustments need to be made to the BIP.

Analysis:

The safety meeting I attended for a first grade student included collaboration between the classroom teacher, the special educator, principal, and myself. A BIP had never been in place for this student but as team we felt one needed to be created. With the creation of a BIP it would ensure student learning and safety. The classroom teacher and I had noticed an increase in unwanted behaviors, especially targeting and harassing a particular peer.

The meeting started by listing the strengths of the student. There were many positive qualities including doing well in math and science, and being creative. There are three parts to the BIP. The first part lists triggers that could possibly be provoking the unwanted behavior. Some of the students triggers include a traumatic background, and the fear of consequences and conflict. Identifying the students triggers allowed us to create intervention strategies to help de-escalate the student’s behaviors. The second part of the BIP lists ways to respond when the student is at an imminent risk to their self or others. Some of the behaviors and presentation the student displays at this time are heightened negative comments to self and peers, impulse control issues, and being annoying to others. Intervention strategies include maintaining proximity, listening actively, and maintaining a calm voice. The last section of the BIP is the recovery stage. This is when the student has de-escalated. This may be a time for the student to reflect and make a plan for next time. They may apologize for what they did and become actively engaged in the classroom.

The safety meeting for the creation of a BIP for the first grade student would not have been possible without the collaboration of stakeholders. The classroom teacher, principal, and special educator were able to create a BIP by bringing what each of them knew to the meeting. They worked together and created interventions they thought would be in the best interest of the student and school community.

Reflection:

    The students of Friendship Village School are very privileged. I believe they are privileged because of the collaboration between stakeholders. The community, teachers, students and parents have come together many times to ensure the students have what they need to receive a quality education. As a student teacher I was given the opportunity to collaborate with my mentor teacher, the special educator and principal of the school to ensure a student would receive an equal opportunity to learn by managing their behavior.

    As a teacher I will continue to collaborate with stakeholders to ensure student learning. I feel it’s important everyone works together to ensure students are learning and safe. I have seen wonderful things happen for the students of Friendship Village School. From fun celebrations, field trips and warm coats, to interactive and engaging lessons. It would be a tough job to try to ensure students are safe and learning as one individual, but as I have witnessed, when you work together as a team, almost anything is possible.

References

Darling-Hammond, L., Hyler, M. E., Gardner, M. (2017). Effective Teacher Professional Development. Palo Alto, CA: Learning Policy Institute. Retrieved from here‌

 

Mizell, H. (2010). Professional Development Matters. Retrieved from here

 

Niehoff, M. (2018, February 26). Three Ways to Model Collaboration and Partnership in Schools and Classrooms. Retrieved from Getting Smart website here

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Overview | Wilson Language Training. (2019). Retrieved April 4, 2019, from Wilsonlanguage.com website here

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Tucker, G. (2018). Behavior Intervention Plans: What You Need to Know. Retrieved from Understood: for Learning and Attention Issues website here

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Unpacking Each Feature of Student-Centered Schools. (2014, June 13). Retrieved April 1, 2019, from Stanford Center for Opportunity Policy in Education website here

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