Week of Reflection: January 22, 2021

 Week of Reflection: January 22, 2021
  
Rate and explain your overall experience of the week: 1 - Very difficult to 5 - Great week.
               This week was a 4. It was really good, but a bit more tiring than I expected. I started picking up part of the day this week by taking on morning duty through the time our students go to specials which is at 8:45. I am not getting there any earlier than I usually do, I am not doing anything drastically different, but I am exhausted this week. Maybe it has nothing to do with teaching, I'm not sure, I just know I am tired. Students have been great this week. Our Cohort A students tend to be quieter, so the lesson that I taught them on Tuesday felt kind of strange, but Cohort B is much more responsive so the last two days went better.
Response to these questions to end your week:
Observe: What pleasant surprises/accomplishments did I achieve this week?
              When I went to work on Tuesday my CE had prepared a little gift bag to welcome me to student teaching. It was a very thoughtful gift and a nice surprise to start my week and my official student teaching.
Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?
              I learned that my Cohort A needs something different to become engaged in the morning. I am not quite sure what that is yet, but I am going to try some different things next week. We do a good morning song, and they have struggled to be "with it" since coming back from Christmas. I would like to find something different to do to get them excited about being at school and ready to learn.
Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned?
              My short-term goals are to research different strategies to help me be a better teacher, and this is aligned with my long-term goals since the ultimate goal is to be the best teacher that I can be. I also have short-term goals to complete the different parts of my edTPA, and that aligns with my long-term goal of completing edTPA and passing the first time.
Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing?
              Overall, I feel that I spent my time productively this week. I spent all of my time during the day either teaching or observing my CE, and I spent time on the planning day talking to her about the different assignments that are due this week, and getting her help and advice as I am planning my lessons for the next few weeks.
Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?
              This is the first week so far that I don't feel that I struggled with either of these things at all. I did everything that I set out to do at the beginning of the week.
Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?
               My goals for the weekend are to work on task 2 of edTPA and write my lesson plans for the first week in February since that is when I will begin teaching full-time in my classroom. I also plan to do some reading of some books that my CE recommended that she uses in her classroom.
Adapted from: Cernoff, M. (2013, August 7). 7 Questions to End Your Week With. . Retrieved July 21, 2014, from http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/08/08/7-questions-to-end-your-week-with/
What were some data you analyzed this week and how did it help inform your instructional decisions?
            This week I was able to attend Data Dives with my CE. This is a time when the grade level meets with the Title 1 staff, administration, and the school psychologist to plan interventions for students as needed. After this, my CE and I sat down and used the data to rearrange our literacy groups within the classroom. I appreciated her asking for my input and being able to look at the data and plan together in order to make sure that we are providing our students with the instruction that they need.
What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers?
            If you can, attend as many different types of meetings with your CE as you can. It may not always be possible, in the past some of ours have occurred during instructional time, so someone had to be with the children, but if they happen during specials or on workdays, really try to go. I think it provides great insight into how decisions are made about different things and offers you a great opportunity to get more information on your students.

NC Teacher Candidate Standards (Be sure to reference activities from your lesson plans to solidify your answer.)
    Pick an element from standard one of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
        1a: Teachers lead in their classrooms. This week I feel that I was able to lead in my classroom by attending Data Dives and helping my CE plan intervention and guided reading groups based on the data.
    Pick an element from standard two of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
        2d: Teachers adapt their teaching for the benefit of students with special needs. This week I met with my CE and our EC teacher about my student who has an IEP. I was able to gain a lot of insight and think of some new strategies to use when planning instruction for him.
    Pick an element from standard three of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
        3d: Teachers make instruction relevant for their students. This week I was teaching my students a social-emotional lesson on feelings. I was able to relate this to different areas of their lives by asking them about things that they might feel worried about and teaching them some different coping mechanisms to use when they feel worried.
    Pick an element from standard four of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
        4c: Teachers use a variety of instructional methods. During the social-emotional lesson that I taught this week, I incorporated instruction that would meet the needs of different learners in my class. We had discussions, listened to a read aloud, did some writing, and practiced some different techniques to help us when we feel worried. I made sure that I gave techniques that could be used in different situations, and that each student would have at least one technique that they would feel comfortable using based on what I know about their personalities.
    Pick an element from standard five of the evaluation tool and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.
        5a: Teachers analyze student learning. I think I addressed this standard in a few different ways this week. First, in the Data Dives, I was able to attend I was able to analyze our students' data from iStation and see where they need additional support. Also, during my instruction this week I was constantly analyzing and thinking about what was working and what wasn't so that I could adapt the next lesson to better meet the needs of my students.
Other:
What components of your edTPA and portfolio have you started to complete?
                        Task 1 is nearly finalized, Task 2 is recorded, I am completing Task 4 next week.
                        I have worked on the School Improvement Plan and Classroom management plan for my portfolio.
What support does your Clinical Educator need from your University Supervisor? What support do you need from your University Supervisor?
                        None that I am aware of currently.