The competent teacher differentiates instruction by using a variety of strategies that support critical and creative thinking, problem-solving, and continuous growth and learning. This teacher understands that the classroom is a dynamic environment requiring ongoing modification of instruction to enhance learning for each student.
Articles Presentation Slides, Articles Presentation Video, and Articles Quiz
I created a Google Slides presentation and Google Forms quiz in December 2020 as part of my Flipped Classroom experimentation. The presentation is geared toward ninth grade Spanish students, possibly as one of the earliest lessons I would teach, because I introduce and explain the language’s gendered words and the types of articles that coordinate with them. The quiz was created to accompany the presentation and assess students’ comprehension of the material I taught through the presentation.
Flipped Classrooms are an education style where the students watch or read the instruction of a concept before they come to class. Class time is then used to answer questions and further explain the concept. This method allows students to take responsibility for their own learning, work at their own pace, and access all the help that they need while in class, instead of struggling alone at home. So, I created these two Flipped Classroom items as a way of exploring other teaching methods, since “the classroom is a dynamic environment requiring ongoing modification of instruction,” according to the ITPS Standard 5. The questions in the quiz are aimed at assessing the student’s understanding of the concept, rather than simply their recall, it encourages the critical thinking and continuous growth that most benefits the student.
In the presentation, I discussed what it means to have gendered words in Spanish, the most common indicators of whether a word is masculine or feminine, and some of the exceptions to the general rules. I also introduced both definite and indefinite articles, demonstrating the differences in use and purpose. In addition, I pointed out a few oddities and explained their meaning. The quiz then asked questions about those details and whether or not the students understood the content well enough to apply it, in order to meet IPLS L.9-10.3. This project equipped me to write more meaningful multiple-choice questions, and to practice explaining a concept thoroughly enough for a video lecture to be sufficient. Both of these skills will be useful in a future classroom.