Meta Reflection on Instruction

2. The teacher uses questioning and discussion techniques that engage all learners. To meet the needs of all students, a teacher should use instructional practices reaffirmed by research, pose effective questions and provide sufficient wait-times for student response and give assignments and organize activities that cognitively engage learners spanning the range in ability. Moreover, teachers exemplifying research-based and growth-centered teaching practice engage in habitual evaluation and modification of their lessons and their effectiveness to ensure that they meet the needs of all students [1].

                              Video 1. EdTPA Task 2 (engage) Lesson                           

 

 

                               Video 2. EdTPA Task 2 (facilitate) Lesson

In the video segments that show the teacher explaining to students how to complete and interpret a 2x2 Punnett square using parental alleles and calculating genotypic and phenotypic ratios and percentages using those completed Punnett squares, the teacher demonstrates exemplary command of posing questions that elicit higher-order thinking and providing adequate time for students to process questions, analyze information, and provide an answer in response [2]. Throughout the lesson shown in the two video segments, the teacher paces her questioning and explanation to meet the needs of learners spanning the range in ability and patiently waits for students to wrestle with the problem at hand, come up with an answer or solution and correct themselves if necessary [2]. The teacher supports a positive learning environment by affirming correct student responses and redirecting incorrect answers with questions rather than outright stating that a given answer is wrong, assuring students so that they willingly volunteer further insight and perspectives without the fear of being wrong [2]. Along the same lines, teacher accepted all student responses with respect and support, comfortably engaging students in a learning atmosphere of mutual respect wherein students of varying backgrounds feel comfortable with being randomly called upon (00:28-00:40) to volunteer answers—an exchange representative of the high expectations the teacher has for their students [5]. For example, the second video segment shows the teacher suggesting to students to look at their notes (00:00-00:30) since the definition of genotype and phenotype are “part of their vocabulary,” challenging students to engage and be prepared for questioning and giving all students—even those that struggle more with the learning material—an equal opportunity to participate in the learning process [3]. In the second video segment, the teacher’s classroom management demonstrates the reciprocal state of trust and respect the teacher and students have for each other: the teacher trusts in the students’ capability to think for themselves and regulate their own response after being notified that someone is indeed trying to speak and the students respect for classroom in that they immediately stop talking when asked (00:00-00:23) to let a fellow student properly volunteer her answer [4].

According to Pressley & McCormick in Child and Adolescent Development for Educators, expert on cognitive development Jean Piaget stresses that students must be “active participants” in their own learning, discovering knowledge in learning environments “conducive to student exploration” (2007, pp. 68-69). The teacher shows regard for such a learning environment in the first video segment when they prompt the students (03:20-03:29) to analyze the genotype designation for homozygosity in dominance and interpret the meaning of “homozygous” to predict the genotype labeling for the homozygous recessive state, and, when a student correctly provides an answer, they ask a probe (03:45-03:55) that prompts the students to evaluate the genotype terms for heterozygosity of alleles based on the concept of homozygosity [4]. Another instance in which teacher uses higher cognitive level of questioning to guide students toward expanding upon and justifying their thinking can be found in the second video segment, in which the teacher prompts (04:10-04:24) the students to think about allelic dominance in analyzing a completed Punnett square to realize that dominant alleles have phenotypic dominance [5]. During the lesson, there are some instances—missed opportunities—in which the teacher chooses to “tell” rather than let the students discover the answer themselves: when the teacher walks through the calculation of common ratios from completed 2x2 Punnett squares to the percentages of quarters to dollars (06:00-06:29) in the second video, she poses questions and immediately answers her own questions rather than wait for the students to arrive at each answer themselves. Although the students show that they follow the authentic parallel she conveyed when they answer her question (06:27-06:30) about how many quarters there are in a dollar, teacher could have, instead, slowed down and allowed students the chance to calculate and fully understand the meaning of ratio/percentage solved for a 2x2 Punnett square when applying their understanding of the comparison to money [6]. In this way, students are given the chance to practice solving the problem at their own pace, and engage in the higher-order thinking processes of analysis [5].

The two instances in the shown in the lesson on 2x2 Punnett squares in genetics demonstrates that the teacher exemplifies command of stimulating student engagement and motivation to think about the content at the higher cognitive thinking levels of analysis and evaluation and providing an adequate amount of time to allow for student to discover knowledge at their own pace and fully own their learning [5].

References

Crawford, J. [John Crawford]. (2014, Nov 13). EdTPA Task 2 (engage) Lesson 2. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoaEaA2m-g8&spfreload=1.

Crawford, J. [John Crawford]. (2014, Nov 13). EdTPA Task 2 (facilitate) Lesson 2. [video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_1pntnwkNs. 

Pressley, M. & McCormick, C. B. (2007). Child and Adolescent Development for Educators. New York, NY: Guilford Press.

Reflection on Professional Practice

       8. The teacher participates collaboratively in the educational community, showing mutual support and cooperation in eliciting feedback from colleagues and supervisors. A teacher shows exemplary professional practice by participating collaboratively in the educational community to improve instruction, advance the knowledge and practice of teaching as a profession, and ultimately impact student learning. Moreover, a teacher exemplifying professional practice elicits feedback from colleagues and supervisors to apply toward improving student learning success. Thus, fostering and maintaining a professional environment of respect and inclusiveness—where teachers acknowledge their differences in their backgrounds and pedagogy but their sameness in the heart they have for affecting positive change in society through effectively educating their students—is crucial to success in professional practice as a teacher [1].

Professional practices, or responsibilities, range from contract obligations such as staying thirty-minutes after school and attending staff and professional learning community (PLC) meetings to building and maintaining healthy, collaborative relationships within the educational community. In my couple of months as a student teacher, I have been attending and participating in every professional meeting as if I was a contracted teacher, and discovered that collaboration among teachers has its difficulties that, if not well-traversed, can hamper an individual or the entire team’s professional growth and development [2]. In “Work Together But Only if You Want To,” Du Four warns that teacher collaboration that focuses on negativity such as punishments for students or delegation of tasks and norms will cause team meetings to “deteriorate into complaint sessions” (2011, p. 60). The first day I joined my assigned PLC group as a student teacher, one member confessed their feelings of being unheard and disrespected in past PLC meetings and apologized to the team for their part in causing those meetings to perpetually end in deadlock, promising that they will be making a conscious effort to participate with a greater sense of collegiality and receptiveness toward items on the PLC agenda regarding norms and rules [3]. I realized at that point the opportunity I had to learn secondhand the importance of mutual support and cooperation in allowing for professional growth and development from collaboration. Despite an especial effort of said member as observed at subsequent meetings and in group emails to turn a new leaf and work harmoniously with other PLC group members, another member continued to discuss with other group members about past enmity for said group member and kept the antipathy alive [4]. Witnessing the collateral damage of ineffective teacher collaboration helped me realize that (1) an individual member’s determination, alone, to be respectful and cooperative to optimize the benefit of collaboration toward advancing pedagogy and ultimately impact student learning does not necessarily mean all other members will reciprocate for the success of said collaboration and (2) failing to navigate team politics well can permanently damage one's relationships within that specific professional community and diminish the potential value of collaboration for personal professional growth and development [5]. To enjoy the benefits of teacher collaboration, I internalized from my observation the fundamental importance of always observing effective interpersonal and conversation skills as well as working with other members "in good faith" to "develop a guaranteed and viable curriculum to ensure that students have access to the same essential knowledge and skills regardless of the teacher to whom they are assigned" (p. 61) in order to sustain access to the opportunity and benefits of teacher collaboration [6].

       Teacher collaboration helps teachers achieve ever increasing number of standards for student performance and success, therefore teachers whom strive to optimize instructional practices to meet the needs of all students and devise assessments most appropriate and engaging for all learners would find that the collaborative culture of teacher collaboration in professional learning communities lead to “higher levels of student achievement” (DuFour, 2011, p. 60) [5].

References

DuFour, R. (2011). Work Together But Only If You Want To. Kappan, 92(5), 57-61. 

Learning Environment

      

            In my focused observation for classroom management strategies, I observed a General Chemistry teacher demonstrate distinguished ability in managing classroom procedures [5.2, 2c] and student behavior [5.5, 2d].

To promote student accountability and people-management skills among the students, the teacher implements a real-world management system of grouping the students in teams of four wherein one member is designated “project manager.” For a two-week duration, the designated project manager is responsible for their team’s progress per the learning schedule and assumes responsibility for efficient submission of classwork and homework by group members so that transitions in the class are seamless [5.2, 2c]. Moreover, the team-directed-by-a- “project manager” model also ensures that the student behavior is directly and respectfully monitored by the students and their peers rather than the teacher [5.5, 2d]. In this way, the teacher steers clear of the role of “headmaster,” thus able to focus more of his attention and energy on his ability to effectively explain the learning material as well as that of his students on learning by discovery.

Figure. 1. General Chemistry Classroom Layout.

A second, more subtle strategy for management of classroom procedures and student behavior is the classroom layout wherein the rectangular tables are arranged in a way that promotes student attentiveness toward the front board during lectures [5.2, 2c; 5.5, 2d]. According to Wong & Wong (2009), such as strategy promotes learning because “students face the board learn more” (p. 94). For the teacher, having students sit in positions in which the students must put effort into seeing the learning material makes it challenging for the teacher to monitor and gauge student engagement. As shown in Figure 1., the students in this General Chemistry class are positioned in a way in which they do not have to constantly turn and twist to face the teacher and direct all their attention toward thinking about information relayed during lecture-discussions. With the seating arrangement utilized, the teacher effectively eliminated student body-posturing that is uncomfortable and disadvantageous to learning.

Through implementation of student self-management and a classroom layout conducive to learning, the General Chemistry teacher I observed demonstrates excellent ability in maintaining student behavior and smooth transitions in classroom procedures.

References

Wong, H. K., & Wong, R. T. (2009). The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher (4th ed.). Mountain View, CA: Harry K. Wong Publications.