Domain 4

Reflections to Plan for Future Lessons

When I learned that written reflections were required for each lesson plan (during my student teaching), I was slightly put off. This felt like such a tedious task on top of lesson planning that wasn't going to have much of an impact on me. I felt that reflecting in my head would be just fine. Little did I know how much I would learn to absolutely love writing reflections on my lessons. These proved to be almost therapeutic for me, especially after a tough lesson. I took accountability for what I needed to improve. I highlighted the strategies/methods that worked well and were most meaningful. I learned from my teaching every single day, for every lesson. I developed plans for moving forward and next steps. I was receptive to my cooperating teacher's feedback. My lessons continuously improved. Taking a few minutes to really focus on reflecting was significant to my growth. This is something I plan to continue as I grow as a teacher.

Reflection Examples

Setting Goals Using Records

One of my first tasks as I moved into taking over reading (during my student teaching) was to conference individually with students. I met with students one-on-one to discuss their independent reading book, as well as identify a reading goal for that student. The reading curriculum my cooperating teacher and I were following guided us through maintaining records on their reading progress. Having the opportunity to practice maintaining records during my student teaching was valuable. I really got to understand its importance. The reading conference records were particularly crucial, as reading it not easily measurable through observation. It's important to really get a grasp of what the student is thinking as they read. At the end of the conference, the student and I determined a goal. I maintained the conference records and tracked each student's progress as we moved forward through the lessons/unit. Below, I have provided and example of one of my reading conference records. 

Reading Records and Goals

Keeping Parents in the Loop

In one of my first college courses, Intro to Teaching, we were given an assignment to write an example "Welcome" letter to parents that detailed class expectations, goals, and standards. In the time between this assignment and student teaching, I had not had much practice communicating with parents in this way. Once I took over most of the classroom duties during my student teaching, I began writing the "Monday Memo." The "Monday Memo" is a letter that my cooperating teacher sent home to parents, detailing our plans for the coming week. It was a great update for parents that kept them informed. I have provided one of the Monday letters I wrote for parents/guardians. 

Monday Memo Example

Getting to Know My Colleagues 

To demonstrate my abilitiy to participate in a professional community, I have provided a project that was assigned to me at the start of my student teaching. The project required new student teachers to familiarize themselves with the staff and resources available at their assigned school. I understand that this was designed for student teachers, however, I feel that these activities are necessary for any teaching starting at or transitioning over to a new school. I attended multiple beginning-of-the-year professional development meetings and got to meet a few of my colleagues.

Professional Responsibilities

Principal Debrief

During my first month of student teaching, I knew that I wanted to get the principal in my classroom to observe me and provide feedback. I decided that I would ask him to observe me once during the beginning of my student teaching and once during the end of my student teaching. I felt that this would best show my growth over my student teaching period. I asked, he agreed, and I was ecstatic. I can admit that I was incredibly nervous the day of. I wanted to make a good impression, but I knew that my focus needed to be on student learning. After he observed my lesson, we met for a debriefing a few days later. I was glad to hear that he felt the lesson went well. He continued on by detailing how I could grow as a teacher. He suggested that my next steps should focus on making lessons student-led; get the students talking more than the teacher. This became my goal as I moved forward and it proved to be a valuable lesson. In addition, he believed I had a concrete grasp on the "science" of teaching, but suggested I begin considering the "art" of teaching. He explained that this skill develops over time and will come with practice. Our discussion was meaningful and provided me with multiple goals moving forward. I'm glad I asked the principal to do this for me; it was a wonderful opportunity that I am grateful for.

Following District Wide Expectations

At the beginning of my student teaching school year, I attended a district-wide meeting that focused on behavior/classroom management. We were introduced to PBIS, which details three-tiered support and intervention. In addition, we discussed district-wide/school-wide expectations for our students that followed along with PBIS. In a staff meeting that followed, my principal covered the importance of consistent, school-wide expectations for student behavior. He explained that all teachers must hold the same expectations for their students, so that all students follow these expectations throughout various school locations (specials, lunch, hallway, etc.). My cooperating teacher and I worked to implement PBIS three-tiered support, collaborating interventionists, special education teachers, and our TOSA teacher. We incorporated voice levels, which was a piece of the district-wide expectations. We covered the school-wide expectations with our students, detailing expectations at different locations around the school. I made sure to hold onto these district-wide/school-wide expectations for behavior management through my student teaching.

Voice Levels

Class Expectations