This artifact was an assignment for the Extreme Makeover: Blended/Flipped Edition elective class that I took with Instructor Jarod Bormann in the Spring of 2017 through Keystone AEA 1. The focus of the course was to infuse both lower and higher levels of Bloom’s taxonomy into digital learning through flipped or blended learning models. The purpose of the artifact was to create a unit plan using a blended and/or flipped framework which also integrated formative and summative assessment, appropriate tech tools, planned practice, expected outcomes, scaffolding, and opportunities for collaboration. The InTASC Standards that this artifact aligns with are Standard 5, Application of Content, Standard 6, Assessment, and Standard 11 Technology. Standard 5 is represented because it shows how I have to understand how to engage students in critical thinking, creativity, and problem solving to connect concepts. Standard 6 is represented through the various types of assessment that are used to measure student progress in this unit. Standard 11 shows innovative, yet appropriate use of technology to enhance student learning.

This unit plan was very effective in opening my eyes to all the different ways to blend learning to best meet students’ needs. I learned throughout the course that perhaps the flipped style was not the best match from many of my students’ learning styles, but that blending some of the components of digital learning with more traditional styles could be very effective. I feel that this course has helped to provide me with several resources and a foundational knowledge that I can share with the teachers I work with. Not all strategies work for all students, so it is nice to have several options, digital and traditional, to best meet student needs. I think one of the biggest takeaways from this process was learning how to best choose, create, and use proper assessments to help the student and teacher in the learning process.

This artifact was one of the products of my action research study. After deciding on my research topic of Socratic circles, I needed to decide what specific data I wanted to collect for my study, and since my school is standards-based, I needed to tie that data to applicable content standards. The Socratic Circle Rubric was the end result of my co-teacher and I breaking all of the standards down into specific learning targets, then creating proficiency levels on a four point scale to align with our school's expectations. The artifact was created during the class 601 Action Research in Education--Introductory, taught by Susan Hughes in the summer of 2017. The goal of the course was to introduce students to the action research process, begin planning for their own research, and complete the Literature Review section of their action research papers. This work was important to get students started off on the right foot in their action research. The InTASC Standards that this artifact aligns with are Standard 6, Assessment, and Standard 8, Instructional Strategies. Standard 6 clearly aligns because the rubric helped clarify the assessment expectations for students, and made it easy for teachers to monitor those expectations with clear language. Standard 8 aligns because when we used the rubric as a teaching tool for students to learn and practice the expectations of the standards, it deepened their understanding of the content by allowing them to take ownership of their own learning.

My co-teacher and I revised this rubric many times until we were sure that it represented clearly the learning that we expected from students. We even decided to color code selected text in proficiency explanations so it was clear to both the students and ourselves how the levels were different. It ended up working very well for assessing Socratic circle performance, so I have also started using the same color coding in other rubrics that I help teachers with. I have had many opportunities to work with teachers to develop rubrics since creating this one, and the things that I have learned in developing and revising this rubric have been very useful. I think this experience has helped me to help my teachers to make rubrics more meaningful and more accessible to students so they can take more ownership in their own learning.

This artifact was another product of my action research study. After deciding on my research topic of Socratic circles, I needed to create a game plan for gathering accurate and timely data in my research process. The Socratic Circle Scoring Grid was the end result of a lot of planning and redesigning to try to make the assessment of student proficiency during Socratic circles accurate and streamlined. The artifact was completed during the class 601 Action Research in Education--Introductory, taught by Susan Hughes in the summer of 2017. The goal of the course was for students to be introduced to the action research process, begin planning their own research, and complete the Literature Review section of their action research papers. This work was important to get students started off on the right foot in their action research. The InTASC Standard that this artifact aligns with is Standard 6, Assessment, because the scoring grid helped monitor learner progress and guide the teacher’s research and decision making.

Even though it might seem extremely simple, I am actually quite proud of this assessment tool. Trying to keep track of all of the student contributions during a Socratic discussion can be difficult if the tool is not effective and easy to navigate. It needs to be simple, yet able to clearly capture student performance in three separate areas, while also allowing for clarifying comments. The best part about this tool, is that I have been able to adapt it further to use as a formative assessment in content classrooms for a whole-class discussion. It has proven to be quite adaptable since the standards can easily be switched out as well. Teachers seem to feel like it is easy to use, and it allows them to easily monitor student discussions so they can devote more time to ensuring positive student interaction during the discussions. This, in turn, can help students get to those higher levels of thinking, which is always what we are looking for. This has become a great template for me to help make collection of data during assessments easier.