Week 3; September 12-16

• Observe: This week, I taught 4th grade community (folk) dancing. My CT and I were both pleasantly surprised at how smoothly it went, although it was my first experience with community dancing. It was also great to see smiles and laughs on the kids’ faces.

• Reflect: There is a kindergarten class that is very difficult to manage behaviorally. Mrs. Deaver and I agreed to team-teach this class until we established firm discipline and guidelines for them. I taught them on Wednesday, and I learned that I can (and should) use a firm and stern voice to correct disrespectful behavior. Sometimes, this is difficult for me, because it is not my personality. However, many of these children receive no guidance at home and to not provide it for them would be doing them a disservice. 

• Focus:  I began working on my edTPA lessons this week, and have completed three of them so far. I am preparing so far in advance since I only see these kids once a week.

• Be Productive: I am not exactly sure what I could have spent less time doing, but I feel like I can never spend enough time on portfolio work!

• Have Courage:  When I was teaching kindergarten, I was a bit apprehensive concerning how to manage the class behavior. When I was not firm enough, Mrs. Deaver stepped in to discipline. I am very grateful she did, and I learn from watching and listening to her classroom management.

• Begin Anew: I definitely need to be comfortable with the flow of all six lessons for each grade I will teach next week. So, I plan to rehearse/practice the sequencing quite a bit this weekend.

I would rate this week as a 5.

 This week, I gathered information for the three students for which I will adjust my lessons for edTPA. This will help/is helping me to add/adjust activities for my learning segment in order to accommodate these learning needs.

I would advise my fellow STs to begin work on edTPA lessons and commentaries as soon as possible. Although it is a bit overwhelming to begin these this early in the semester, ultimately it is beneficial because it allows time to revise lessons and feel more comfortable with the process.

Standard 1d, “Teachers advocate for schools and students.” This week, I have had much practice with classroom management. Both schools at which I teach are PBIS (positive behavior intervention and support). Teachers are encouraged to correct behavior through positive jargon (such as “be kind,” instead of “don’t be unkind,” “I should only hear silence,” instead of “don’t talk”). Also they are encouraged to ask students questions in order to correct behavior. For example, in a 4th grade class, a student told another one to shut up, and I responded, “Was that kind?” This prompts students to consider their own behavior and its outcomes. 

Standard 2d, “Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with special needs.” This week, I have worked on revising and creating activities of my learning segments for a student with a reading deficit and an ESL student.

Standard 3c, “Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines.” This week, I have taught a fourth grade lesson that acknowledges the three patriotic holidays that were this week (Patriot Day, Anniversary of The Star Spangled Banner, and the Anniversary of the Constitution). We sang two patriotic songs, but before singing I asked the students what they knew about each of those days, and I filled in missing information. This connected history and music. 

Standard 4b, “Teachers plan instruction appropriate for their students.”

I have been gathering teaching materials for the six different grade levels that I teach each week. My CT has given me wonderful resources, and the Internet has a plethora of information. Collecting student data also helps to plan appropriate instruction.

Standard 5a, “Teachers analyze student learning.”

Something that I am really enjoying about teaching elementary music is that I teach the same lesson as many as seven times. Each time, I have opportunity to revise the process and teaching approach. It is very rewarding to see evidence of my teaching improving as I teach it multiple times, realizing ways that I can explain or demonstrate concepts more efficiently, and seeing the students grasp the concept better. Continually analyzing teaching ultimately results in greater student achievement.

This week, I have mostly focused on the first two edTPA lesson plans, as well as the commentaries for task one. 

I would definitely appreciate a short meeting with Dr. Soja after seminar on Monday regarding my edTPA lesson plans. I just want to make sure I am beginning on and staying on the right track and covering all aspects of edTPA.