Teaching Standards
To be a successful educator, one must remain steadfast in their commitment to all facets of the profession. These are reflected in the five competencies that comprise the Framework for Effective Teaching. Below, step inside the classroom with me to see how I am working to become the best possible teacher for our students.
Lesson Design & Focus
Students sustain focus on a specific, standards-aligned objective that moves them toward mastery.
Forty minutes sure do fly by! I have found that the most effective way of ensuring meaningful instruction during this time is to utilize a routine, in which we start each class with an experience-driven Do Now that activates students' prior knowledge and sparks their natural curiosity. In establishing routines like this, we maintain a proper pace that allows ample time for the gradual release process, in which students engage in daily student-centered historical analysis after direct instruction and a guided practice that provides opportunities for assessment of students' readiness to demonstrate mastery.
Rigor & Inclusiveness
Instructional strategies challenge all students and provide multiple pathways to mastery.
I see great value in striking a balance between universal design and differentiated instruction in my classroom. By making hands-on learning via historical source material in various formats (e.g., written, visual, auditory, qualitative, quantitative), inviting the expression of students' ideas through multiple media, and developing groups and questions that provide me the opportunity to target my supports to students of all achievement levels, I make the classroom a space that validates, reflects, and sustains its diversity of learners.
Culture of Achievement
A learning-focused environment of shared high expectations promotes mastery.
My classroom is a collaborative learning space. As such, group work is not a frill; it lies at the center of what we do. When students engage with one another, they develop soft skills necessary for the professional world and benefit from the sharing of ideas and perspectives. By articulating clear roles for group members, I am better able to sustain student engagement in learning tasks and foster a true classroom community. This sense of community creates a positive feedback loop that only nurtures more collaboration, shared responsibility, and pride in their work.
Student Progress Toward Mastery
Students show evidence of, and teacher monitors, growth.
Every lesson I teach consists of numerous checks for understanding. Data collection begins with assessment of prior knowledge during the Do Now, and continues with frequent questioning during guided and independent practice. My philosophy during student-centered activity is thus: if the students are working, I am assessing. Every conversation I have is a data point to record for our debrief and future lessons. By closing every day with an exit ticket drawn directly from the success criteria, students are able to assess for themselves whether we have met our stated goals, making them active participants in this process.
Commitment to Personal & Collective Excellence
The teacher demonstrates commitment to excellence and to the professional growth of his/her school and peers.
Reflective practitioners know that they always have the opportunity—and the duty—to improve. To that end, I keep daily notes on what I believe was successful, and what I believe should change in order to make the next day more successful. My cooperating teacher, my fellow clinical interns, and I regularly conduct intentional observations of one another and debrief to ensure a spirit of partnership in improving our practice, as well as an understanding that each of us, no matter our number of years in the classroom, comes with a unique experience and perspective.
