Candidates engage in reflection on their own practice and lesson observations. Reflective Journal entries that focus on the insights and puzzling questions on their own teaching practice. The journal (350-500 words) should be a record of your journey in the classroom and plans for continual improvement.
Remember, the point of the journal is to have a place to record ongoing thoughts/ideas and impressions that can also inform the final Looking Back/Planning Forward paper.
The Reflective Journal entry will address the following questions:
- Thinking about feedback provided following POP Cycle 1 what changes did you make to your teaching approaches for your second observed lesson?
- Provide overview of your classroom context and Student Achievement Chart.
- Having reviewed the course learning outcomes Download course learning outcomes Professional Pedagogical Response, Reflective Journals Modules 2&4 tell us in which components of the five domains: Learner C
Candidates engage in reflection on their own practice and lesson observations. Reflective Journal entries that focus on the insights and puzzling questions on their own teaching practice. The journal (350-500 words) should be a record of your journey in the classroom and plans for continual improvement.
Remember, the point of the journal is to have a place to record ongoing thoughts/ideas and impressions that can also inform the final Looking Back/Planning Forward paper.
The Reflective Journal entry will address the following questions:
- Provide overview of your classroom context (TCAP #1: Classroom Report) and Student Achievement Chart (TCAP #4: Analysis of Student Work).
- Having reviewed the course learning outcomes Download course learning outcomes Professional Pedagogical Response, Reflective Journals Modules 2&4 (TCAP #5. Reflection on Professional Feedback & 6. Professional Development and Ethical Leadership Plan) tell us in which components of the five domains: Learner Centeredness, Discipline Knowledge and Skills, Professional Commitment to Action, Data Literacy and Research and Equity & Access you made a progress and hope to develop more by the end of this class and why? At least one component per domain should be used.
- What kind of instructional and behavioral strategies did you use and why?
- How did you accommodate and modify your instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners?
- How were diagnostic, formative, and summative assessmentsLinks to an external site. used to monitor student learning and/or to engage students in understanding/monitoring their own learning?
- How did the assessments help guide instructional choices?
- To what extent was overall learning demonstrated by the whole class?
Full Answer Section
- Think-Pair-Share: I incorporated a Think-Pair-Share activity to encourage student collaboration and formative assessment. Students first thought about the answer individually, then shared their ideas with a partner, and finally shared their partner's key points with the whole class.
- Quick Quiz: I included a short, five-question quiz at the beginning of the lesson to assess prior knowledge and identify areas where students might need additional support.
- Classroom Context and Student Achievement
My classroom consists of 20 fifth graders with a mix of academic abilities. The Student Achievement Chart revealed a range of understanding on the target topic (fractions). While some students grasped basic fraction concepts, others struggled with converting between fractions and decimals.
- Progress and Development Areas
Learner Centeredness: I made progress in this domain by incorporating the Think-Pair-Share activity, which encouraged students to take ownership of their learning and collaborate with peers. I would like to further develop this by providing students with more opportunities for choice in their learning activities.
Discipline Knowledge and Skills: I effectively used my knowledge of fractions to design the lesson content and address student misconceptions identified in the pre-assessment. However, I could delve deeper into student thinking by using open-ended questioning techniques to probe their understanding of fraction concepts.
Professional Commitment to Action: The feedback from POP Cycle 1 motivated me to refine my lesson plan and incorporate new instructional strategies. Moving forward, I plan to seek out additional professional development opportunities on formative assessment and differentiation to further improve my teaching practice.
Data Literacy and Research: I utilized the pre-assessment data to identify student needs and adjust my instruction accordingly. In the future, I would like to explore using exit tickets or short quizzes throughout the lesson to gather more formative data and make adjustments on the fly.
Equity & Access: While I did not have any students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in this particular lesson, I am committed to differentiating instruction to meet the needs of all learners. In the future, I plan to develop a bank of tiered activities and resources to cater to various learning styles and abilities.
- Instructional and Behavioral Strategies
The lesson employed a variety of instructional strategies to cater to different learning styles:
- Direct Instruction: I began with a brief introduction to the lesson objectives and key vocabulary terms.
- Visual Aids: I used manipulatives and diagrams to represent fractions concretely.
- Think-Pair-Share: This activity encouraged collaboration and peer learning.
- Group Work: Students worked together to complete practice problems.
- Quick Quiz: This formative assessment helped gauge student understanding.
- Differentiation
- Tiered Activities: I provided students with a choice of different difficulty levels for the practice problems.
- Scaffolding: I offered additional support to students who were struggling by breaking down complex concepts into smaller steps.
- Wait Time: Increased wait time allowed students who process information slower to formulate responses.
- Assessment
- Pre-assessment: A short quiz assessed prior knowledge of fractions.
- Formative Assessment: The Think-Pair-Share activity and quick quiz provided opportunities for formative assessment.
- Summative Assessment: A short exit ticket at the end of the lesson assessed student learning of the target concept.
- Overall Learning
The use of formative assessments throughout the lesson allowed me to gauge student understanding and adjust instruction accordingly. While not all students achieved complete mastery, the overall participation and responses in the Think-Pair-Share activity and exit ticket indicated that most students grasped the basic concepts of converting between fractions and decimals.
This experience highlighted the importance of ongoing formative assessment to ensure all students are progressing. Moving forward, I will strive to integrate a wider variety of formative assessments into my lessons to monitor student learning and personalize instruction for optimal student achievement.
Sample Answer
. Changes Based on Feedback
Following the feedback provided after POP Cycle 1, I made several changes to my teaching approach for the second observed lesson. The feedback highlighted a need for increased student engagement and opportunities for formative assessment.
- Increased Wait Time: I consciously increased wait time after posing questions to allow students more time to think and formulate responses. This allowed for greater participation from quieter students.