The indicators of the Differentiated Instruction and Assessment Category of the Pedagogical Practice Domain are definitely present in my current professional/teaching practice. I recognize that students learn best in different ways and that instruction can be adapted in order to better reach different types of learners. My practice could be enhanced if I actively spent more time seeking and implementing new ideas to discover what specific strategies work best for me in the classroom.
Specifically, in the coming years, I would like to:
- Be more proactive about considering and addressing each student’s learning profile. I would like to do this by researching proven ways to reach students with different learning needs and creating a table with this information. As the school year progresses and I identify students with different learning needs, I can consult this table to quickly implement new strategies to help them learn.
- Analyze more carefully the types of class activities and assignments I utilize in order to ensure that I am engaging and accommodating all types of learners. I can do this by categorizing each activity and assignment I offer according to the learning style or styles it appeals to and adding or taking away types of activities and assignments as needed.
- For each of the two classes I teach, perform an analysis of how I build in opportunities for each student to contribute during each class period and identify and address specific areas of improvement.
- For each of the two classes I teach, perform an analysis of how I provide alternative explanations of course concepts and identify and address specific areas of improvement.
- Create a log where I track where there are opportunities in my classes to change things up based on formative assessment and how I respond to those opportunities.
The Pedagogical Effectiveness Category of the Pedagogical Practice Domain is a strong component of my current professional/teaching practice. I am skilled at organizing the flow of individual class periods from start to finish, with a few areas for improvement.
I would like to do the following in order to improve my teaching practice in the Pedagogical Effectiveness category:
- Examine the daily schedules for each of my two classes to make sure there is sufficient variation for each class based on age group. Consult with Head of Middle School on this and make changes as appropriate.
- Examine the daily schedules for each of my two classes to make sure I end each period with a summary and clear tie-in to the next class.
The Classroom Culture Category of the Pedagogical Practice Domain is a strong component of my current professional/teaching practice. Having a consistent and intentional classroom culture is important to me and so this is an area into which I have put a lot of attention.
Within the Classroom Culture Domain, in the coming years, I plan to primarily focus more on being sure I am promoting inclusivity. I will do this by performing an analysis of how I promote inclusivity in my lesson plans and identify and address specific areas of improvement.