Week of Reflection: February 19, 2021

 Week of Reflection: February 19, 2021

  

Rate and explain your overall experience of the week: 1 - Very difficult to 5 - Great week.

            I would rate this week at a 3. Student teaching was ok, and we ended up with a surprise virtual learning day. I am just feeling very overwhelmed with edTPA and overthinking all of my choices so far. I am also dealing with some nervousness over all of our students returning next week. I am worried about keeping everyone safe and physically distanced and adjusting to 18 students in class instead of only 8-10. My CE and I have done as much as we can to prepare, but there is a lot that we just won't know until they come next week.

Response to these questions to end your week:

• Observe: What pleasant surprises/accomplishments did I achieve this week?

                        I had my first post-observation with my CE and my second with my US. I feel like both of these went really well, and I got great advice on some things to improve from both of them.

• Reflect: What lessons did my work/experiences teach me that I will build upon next week?

                        I am slowly learning to have more faith in myself and my instincts when it comes to teaching. I am realizing that I can tell when my students aren't with me, and I can stop and adjust midstream as needed. I definitely still need work in this area, but I am finding more success with it.

• Focus:  How are my short-term efforts and my long-term goals still aligned?

                        Short-term goals are still to learn more and write edTPA, and this is still aligned with my long-term goals of passing edTPA and becoming the best teacher I can be.

• Be Productive: What could I have spent more or less time doing?

                        I could have spent less time second-guessing myself and my choices for edTPA. This has set me back on my writing of Task 2 and 3 because I wanted to look at my videos from my other cohort to see if I had better footage there.

• Have Courage:  How did apprehension and indecision impact what I did and didn’t do?

                        I can't think of anything that was impacted by either of these things this week.

• Begin Anew: What is the first logical step(s) for next week? What mental clutter can I clear?

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?

        My CE and I looked at the data for all of our students again to make sure that we are happy with their group placements for when everyone begins attending in person next week. I have also looked at the data from my Task 3 and Task 4 assessments.

What is one piece of advice you can share with other student teachers?

        Trust your gut. You know more than you may realize. 

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 tools and explain some activities/strategies you implemented this week to increase your rating for the element.

                    Teachers lead in their classrooms- this week my CE and I spent time planning how we are going to make sure that all of our students are safe next week. We also planned how we can help them to get the most out of our instructional time, even though there will be more of them and we will still have to try to keep COVID restrictions in place as much as possible.

• 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.

                    Teachers embrace diversity in the school community and the world - this week I taught my students some lessons about Ruby Bridges and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Some students had heard of them, but most had not. It was very interesting to hear them relate to the lessons that I was teaching.

• 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.

                    Teachers recognize the interconnectedness of content areas/disciplines- This week I was able to teach my first global awareness lesson by relating the lessons I taught about Ruby Bridges and Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. to our classroom, community, and the world. I showed students people from all three areas who are the same and different as them and helped them to see that all people should be treated equally.

• 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.

                    Teachers integrate and utilize technology in their lessons- One way that I have been doing this is by allowing my students to take turns writing answers on the smartboard for all of their classmates to see and use to check their work. This gives me the opportunity to offer each student individual attention and feedback, and to allow them to "teach" their classmates. I have also been integrating technology into my math lessons by having problems displayed on the smartboard and showing students the steps involved in using this technology.

• 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.

                    Teachers function effectively in a complex, dynamic environment- Since we will be having all of our students together on Monday for the first time all year, I have spent time this week preparing and researching some ways to help them mesh as a new class and to learn how to work together safely and quickly.

Other:

• What components of your edTPA and portfolio have you started to complete?

                    Working on all of edTPA. Trying to get it finished.

• What support does your Clinical Educator need from your University Supervisor? What support do you need from your University Supervisor?

                    We don't need any additional support at this time.