Planning for Learning

For those who were above grade level, I challenged them with more complex problems and encouraged them to explore mathematical concepts at a deeper level. My higher kids loved the challenge of these Waterloo problems of the Week activities

2022-2023 - my final reflection

This semester, I worked hard to improve my ability to plan for student learning, and I'm pleased to say that I've made significant progress. One of the areas that I focused on was differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all learners in my classroom.

As I mentioned in my initial reflection, I wanted to continue improving my differentiation until it became more fluid, seamless, and authentic. To achieve this, I made a conscious effort to design activities and lessons that were challenging yet accessible for all students in my class.

To implement this goal, I used a variety of strategies to differentiate instruction, including tiered instruction, flexible grouping, and individualized tasks. For example, in a lesson on literary analysis, I created tiered activities that allowed students to choose between analyzing a basic, intermediate, or advanced text. I also used flexible grouping to organize students based on their current reading level and assigned them reading tasks that were tailored to their individual needs.

Furthermore, I made sure to incorporate ongoing assessment and feedback to ensure that my differentiation was effective. By regularly checking in with my students, I was able to make adjustments to my lessons and activities to better meet their needs.

Looking back on this semester, I'm proud of my growth in differentiating instruction. I've learned that differentiation is not just about providing different activities for different learners, but it's also about creating an inclusive classroom environment where all students feel valued and supported. Moving forward, I plan to continue developing my differentiation strategies so that I can meet the diverse needs of all students in my future classrooms.

Students who struggled creating patterns using alphabetical prompt card (AB, ABC, ABB) were given these prompt cards, allowing them to reproduce or extend a pattern that was already created

Fall 2021

Goals Before Practicum:

As a goal this semester, I plan on creating "multiple paths to learning for individuals and groups of learners" (TQS 3a). To reach this goal, I plan on differentiating lessons by using pedagogical that I have learned about throughout my university courses

Growth After Practicum:

During my practicum this year, I impressed myself with my growth in planning. I have grown very comfortable with the Programs of Studies, often integrating multiple subjects into any given lesson or activity. Not only this, through observation and assessment I was able to get to know each student and their individual learning styles and plan future instruction accordingly. The creation of my Integrated Curriculum Project prior to my five weeks at Braeside allowed me to create and follow a mid-range plan that taught my students patterns and sorting. In regards to my pre-practicum goal for this competency, I was able to use my student data to differentiate instruction, giving learners alternate approaches to given lessons. This helped all of my students feel confident in their learning.

Goals for Future Practicums:

Through my growth in my ability to plan for student learning this semester, I was able to pinpoint areas in which I could still improve. In my future practice, I would like to continue differentiating instruction until it becomes fluid, seamless, and more authentic. As I reflect on how I differentiated instruction this year, I am impressed, but I realize how I can still grow within this competency.

The Backward Design model

Winter 2020

Growth:

In the EDUC 2375: Affective Assessment course, a partner and I had the chance to create a lesson plan using the backward design model. This assignment helped me “use the program of study outcomes to set learning goals” (PL2). Through this lesson, I experienced growth, as it was a brand new way of creating a lesson plan that I was not familiar with prior to the course. Instead of choosing a lesson or assessment type, I planned my student's learning based on outcomes from the program of studies.

Goals:

Next semester, my goal is to use the backward design model in my practicum classrooms to broaden my experience creating fruitful lesson plans that tie back to the program of study outcomes. To ensure that I accomplish this goal, I plan on creating a few interesting lesson plans over the summer that I can alter when I find out what grade I will be teaching next semester. I will be able to go over my lesson plans with my mentor teacher, explaining how I used the backward design model to create the lessons. Furthermore, I hope to teach my lessons next year as well which will provide me with formative feedback on how I may improve.

Above: a screenshot from my Jamboard that was used in my lesson plan

Below: a screenshot of the first page of my lesson plan

Fall 2020

Growth:

This semester I was provided with an opportunity to create a complete ELA shared reading lesson plan. It was a huge improvement from my lesson plan that I created last year as I have gained such an expanse of knowledge since that time. Although I was not able to experience how teaching this lesson to classroom of students would go, I was able to teach it to my peers. I learned a lot while creating this lesson. One major point of growth that I experienced was how important differentiation is when teaching.

Goals:

During this semester I have come up with a quote that sums up my learning: leave no learner behind. As I went through the semester and learned about differentiation, I realized how a student can be easily be left behind and completely lost in their learning. There are many ways to avoid this as a teacher and as a personal goal, I plan to expand my knowledge of these methods to ensure that all of my students feel confident and caught up.
- - One method is small group instruction. In small group instruction, a teacher can assess the learning of each student individually to make sure they are provided with the assistance they require
  - Another method that I plan on using is the Fountas & Pinnell Benchmark Assessment System. This assessment system is useful in determining a students independent and instructional reading levels. The F & P BAS will also help me:

Observe a students reading behaviors
Get students engaged in comprehension conversations

Another goal of mine is to learn more about running records and why they are important to teachers and learners. As I have learned this semester, running records provide teachers with evidence of what a child is able to do, what they are ready to learn, and what how their learning has improved over a period of time. I plan on studying running records and discussing them with my mentor teacher in a much more in-depth way.

Winter 2019

Growth:

In my Professional Dimensions reading regarding discipline-based inquiry it is stated that there are major schools of thought that must be taught; science, math, history, and language. In my Kindergarten field study I learned how these subjects were formulated to cater to younger children. I also learned that these subjects can be taught in a fun way to ensure engagement. My mentor teacher has interactive cards that she uses to plan out the day on the board. The cards have pictures, and say what subject they will be learning. I got the opportunity to create and teach a lesson plan. I created a musical chairs game that required students to use math and language arts.

Goals:

I plan to learn more about the ways Kindergarten students learn, as well as how the same subjects are taught in later grades. This will not only allow me to understand why Kindergarten students learn the way they do, it will also help me see the progression of learning. I will know that I have achieved this goal when I can create lesson plans for any subject or grade. To ensure this goal, I will ensure that I request different grades for every year of my practicum. I plan on completing this goal by the time I am done my B. Ed. program.

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